Depending on where they work, cafe workers may also need to know about specialty foods.

Working conditions

Cafe workers:

may work regular business hours or do shift work, including evenings and weekends

work in cafes, canteens, delicatessens and takeaway bars.

What's the job really like?

Aimee James

Cafe Worker

From a shy start to confident conversationalist

"When I first started I was very, very shy. I had just come out of school and I did a coffee course. I overcame my fear of talking to customers and just came out of my shell. I have definitely grown in my people skills.

"Common tasks you do as a café assistant include serving customers, taking meals out to them, and talking to them – you want to make conversation, you want to find out how their day is."

A busy cafe is challenging

"You really need a strong backbone to work in this industry. It's very stressful when it gets busy. Customers don't understand that when you're busy their orders take longer. They expect it to be there as soon as they order.

"Another challenging thing is if you're one or two staff members down, you've got to pick up the other person's job, so you may be doing other tasks in a day that aren't actually your job."

Happy customers rewarding

"It's rewarding when customers tell us that we did a fabulous job – the meal was fabulous, the service was perfect – that really lifts everyone's spirit a lot. I love the communication with the customers. Especially our regulars. We know them really well – it just makes our day when we see a whole lot of happy customers come in."

Cafe worker video

Alex: Cheers, Sue. I really like the regulars that come in because they’re people you get to kind of know them, but then the surprises that come with the people who don’t come every day, just maybe pop in.

Maybe one day you’ll end up washing dishes a lot. Another day you’re outside doing a lot more connection with the customers. Another day you might be on the till a lot more.

Skills wise, number one I would think – if you like people, it’s really about that in this job. People don’t just come in for a coffee, they come in to be with other people and that’s the environment you are in.

I can believe in a good cup of coffee and I can believe in the stuff that I’m actually bringing out, and I can believe in just that 20 minutes of experience and I know you can actually make that almost perfect, yeah, with a bit of effort and a bit of love in it.

Entry requirements

There are no specific entry requirements to become a cafe worker as skills are gained on the job.

Cafe workers may complete the New Zealand Certificate in Food and Beverages - Cafe Strand (Level 3) while working. Employers may also send staff on customer service, food handling and hygiene courses.

You can complete an apprenticeship and gain a New Zealand Certificate in Food and Beverage (Level 3 or 4) or a New Zealand Certificate in Catering Services (Level 3 or 4). ServiceIQ oversees hospitality apprenticeships.

Secondary education

There are no specific secondary education requirements to become a cafe worker. However, home economics (food and nutrition), maths and English to NCEA Level 1 are useful.

For Year 11 to 13 students, the Gateway programme is a good way to gain industry experience. This programme may help you gain an apprenticeship, but doesn't reduce the amount of time it takes to complete it.